diffuser / lens for an rgb led?

[intellijel]

I got some great rgb leds that have flat tops and a diffused (frosted) plastic. They are almost ideal except for the fact that the lighting elements are too close to the surfaces and so they do not blend into a uniform light. When I take a piece of 0.25" wide tape and wrap around them to make a little tube and then I put a sheet of paper on the top it makes a perfect colored circle.

because the leads are flat topped, it does not take too much distance from the top of them to diffuse the light (just a couple of mm).

Is there an off the shelf solution for this? e.g. an opaque tube about 0.25" long and with a 5mm ID and a translucent top?

Or is there a tiny 5mm diameter translucent disc that I can use and then just buy black nylon tube with 5mm ID and cut it into equal lengths?

The best solution of all would be if I could just epoxy something in place (again some sort of translucent disc)

Any ideas?

cheers,

  Danjel

[Screaming_Rabbit]

Is there an off the shelf solution for this?

... yes there is. Check the electronics web-shops e.g. farnell.com

Any ideas?

... did you try to sand the top and reduce the passing current?

Greets, Roger

[intellijel]

The leds I have already have flatops (no need to sand them). I am well aware that you can buy diffuser lens caps for leds that will protrude from your front panel (they also have a fernel type lens rigdes on them) but these will not achieve the effect I want at all.

I have attached some photos to show better what I want to do.

Here are the led's:

Next to it is a typical LED holder (similar dimensions to the tube I wanted.) So I decided to try putting on the led but not snapping it in place so the top of the led is sunken relative to the top of the holder. All I need to do is put some shrink tube on parts of the tube that are allowing light through.

This photo shows it at a better angle with the light on:

This last photo shows the desired final effect. I took a piece of a thin plastic label/tape and put it over top of the led+holder. It produces a nice colored disc that is perfectly diffused.

If I mount all of my rgb leds on standoffs (so they are equal height) and then glue an rgb holder onto each one, there will be an array of tubes all at the same height. I can just glue pieces of simmilar plastic to each one and then design my frontpanel holes for the leds to be smaller than the discs. However what I would really like to do is find thin, 5mm semi-translucent disc that I could just stick on top of or into each one. This way I could have them poke through the front panel and be flush. It would look cool and have a wide viewing angle.

[Screaming_Rabbit]

The leds I have already have flatops (no need to sand them).

... by sanding them, I didn't mean to make them flat but to get the diffusor effect.

Greets, Roger

[intellijel]

hmmm well it is already diffused plastic (they are not clear).

I also tried putting a piece of semi-transluscent material directly on them but this was too close so the colours did not blend still. I will try sanding and see if that has a magical optic effect!

[intellijel]

I tried it but it does not help. The problem is that the light needs some space to blend. I just wish I could find a creative source for tiny semi-translucent discs.

There has to be something out there!!!!

[Jidis]

I just wish I could find a creative source for tiny semi-translucent discs.

Don't know how thick a material they can handle, but those hand held "hole puncher" things seem to create little circles about the size to cover a 5mm LED. One of the industrial grade (table top) ones that does all three holes might do thicker material too, but I'm not sure what material would work for diffusion.